What is the Difference Between Assay and Potency?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between assay and potency lies in their definitions and applications in pharmacology and biochemistry:
- Assay: An assay is a testing procedure used to determine the ingredients and quality of a material, such as a biological sample or a drug. It involves sample preparation, discrimination, amplification, and analysis. Assay can be calculated in three different ways: on as-is basis, on dried basis, and on an anhydrous basis.
- Potency: Potency refers to the effectiveness of a drug, measured as the amount required to produce a specific effect. It is calculated by finding the half-maximal effect concentration of the drug. Potency takes into account factors such as impurities, residual solvents, sulfated ash, heavy metals, and water content. The formula for potency is: 100 - (%Imp. + RSL + Sulfated ash + Heavy metal + LOD or Water content).
In summary, an assay is a test used to identify and quantify components in a sample, while potency is a measure of a drug's effectiveness based on the amount needed to produce a specific effect.
Comparative Table: Assay vs Potency
Here is a table highlighting the differences between assay and potency:
Term | Meaning | Calculation | Approach |
---|---|---|---|
Assay | A measure of the concentration of a substance | Typically calculated using the formula: (Area of sample / Area of standard) x (conc. of standard / conc. of sample) x potency or assay of standard | Can be calculated on an "as is" basis or on a dried basis |
Potency | A measure of the activity of a substance, often relative to a standard | Potency = [100 - (% Impurity + Residual Solvent + Sulfated Ash + Heavy Metal + LOD or Water Content)] | Potency can be calculated using the formula: (Area of sample / Area of standard) x (conc. of standard / conc. of sample) x potency or assay of standard |
Both assay and potency are used to determine the concentration and activity of a substance, such as a drug, but they differ in their approaches and calculations. Assay focuses on the concentration of a substance, while potency measures the activity of a substance relative to a standard.
Read more:
- Assay vs Purity
- Bioassay vs Chemical Assay
- Continuous Assay vs Stopped Assay
- Potentiometry vs Amperometry
- Biochemical vs Cell Based Assays
- Colorimetric vs Fluorometric Assay
- Potentiometric vs Conductometric Titrations
- BCA vs Bradford Assay
- Bioavailability vs Bioequivalence
- Hash vs Weed vs Pot
- Volumetric vs Potentiometric Titration
- Cytotoxicity vs Antiproliferative Activity
- Distillation vs Extraction
- Dose vs Dosage
- Medicinal Chemistry vs Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Concentration vs Solubility
- Assessment vs Evaluation
- Assessment vs Evaluation
- Pharmacokinetics vs Pharmacodynamics